Kit n Kitchen

March 10, 2013

Story By: Alana Folen | Photos by: Leah Friel

A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS WEEK’S HOUSE SPECIAL: MOROCCAN LAMB STEW ($14.95)

With equal parts eclectic and savory, Kit n Kitchen absolutely slays it with the restaurant’s award-winning Eurasian cuisine. For the past 11 years, the husband-and-wife team of Kit and May Yiu have been cooking up the most delicious culinary works of art with an intense variety that appeals to everyone’s palate.

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May serves as executive chef of the restaurant and frequently debuts new items she’s inspired to create — one of the most recent being Moroccan Lamb Stew. The dish, according to the chef, can best be described as “spicy.” After much experimentation with a plethora of flavors and spices, May settled on the perfect ones to really heat things up.

Eight-ounce morsels of lamb are rubbed with a blend of spices, including cumin, paprika, cinnamon clove, coriander, black pepper and cayenne, before it’s grilled to perfection. The lamb is then placed in the stew for up to 48 hours until it’s tender and the flavors of the spices are absorbed.

“The secret is in the spices. All great recipes begin with pure spice,” May says.

The stew is simmered and brought to life with a rich tomato base mixed with carrots and onions. The sauce, meanwhile, allows the flavor of the lamb to shine through.

A hint of sun-dried tomatoes and dried cranberries brings color to the dish and laces the stew with a hint of sweetness.

Jasmine rice completes the meal, its flavor and substance offering a bit of relief for those apprehensive about the intense spiciness of the stew.

A world-traveler, May was inspired to create this dish following a recent trip to India.

“I really enjoy tasting all kinds of food from around the world and I’ve been loving spices. While in India, I visited a local family and had many dinners there. As a result, I learned new cooking techniques that I’m able to incorporate into the cuisine here at Kit n Kitchen. Moroccan Lamb Stew is an example of that.”